6 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Signs That Can Show Up Before Pain

Are you having trouble with your hand? Specifically, with some of your fingers? Perhaps you’re experiencing strange sensations like tingling. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome. 

Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists at Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine can promptly identify the cause of your unexplained symptoms and develop a treatment plan, whether you have carpal tunnel syndrome or another condition. 

Once you have carpal tunnel syndrome, it usually doesn’t get better, but instead worsens to the point where you may lose normal function in your wrist, hand, and arm. That’s why it’s best to see an orthopedist at the first warning signs. 

Early warning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome 

The following are early signs you may be developing carpal tunnel syndrome. 

Numbness 

Do your fingers and/or thumb feel numb sometimes? While other medical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral neuropathy can cause numbness in your hand, so can carpal tunnel. No matter what the cause, it’s always better to treat a health condition in the early stages. 

If you have numbness in your wrist, hand, or thumb and first four fingers, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition doesn’t affect your little finger because the compressed nerve that’s affected, your median nerve, doesn’t extend to that finger. 

Tingling 

Along with numbness, you may experience a tingling sensation, especially in your thumb and/or first four fingertips, if you’re developing carpal tunnel syndrome. This is also one of the early warning signs of the condition. 

Shaking your hand dispels numbness or tingling 

If you’ve felt numbness or tingling in your hand and/or fingers, you might shake your hand trying to wake it up. This may relieve the troubling sensations; if it does, it’s likely an early sign of carpal tunnel. 

Symptoms are worse at night 

Carpal tunnel syndrome can disrupt your sleep. Have you woken up to find your hand is numb? You may shake it or change positions to try to dispel the numbness. 

A weak hand grip 

Are you finding it more difficult to button your shirt or grip a pen? A telltale sign of carpal tunnel syndrome is a weak hand grip and trouble with fine motor tasks. 

A burning sensation in your fingers 

You might feel a burning sensation in your thumb or first four fingers. Don’t delay; call our office to schedule an appointment. Burning sensations in your body aren’t normal. 

Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome

Early treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome usually resolves the condition. If you wait too long to obtain care, you could sustain permanent nerve damage and long-term pain. 

Most cases of carpal tunnel syndrome resolve with conservative treatment. If you’re in severe pain when you come to our office, we administer a cortisone shot. 

You need to rest your wrist and hand to calm the inflammation in your nerves and tendons. We prescribe a splint to wear at night to relieve the pressure on your median nerve. The splint keeps your hand in a neutral position so you don’t wake up with pain because your wrist is curved in toward your elbow. 

Depending on the severity of your symptoms, we show you stretches and exercises to perform during the day to build your strength and help prevent carpal tunnel issues in the future, or we may prescribe physical therapy. 

Only a very small percentage of cases of carpal tunnel syndrome require surgery. It’s a simple procedure in which we create more space for your median nerve and tendons. 

If you’ve unexplained hand pain or other troublesome symptoms, schedule a consultation with our team at Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in West Memphis, Arkansas, or Collierville, Tennessee, today. You can call our location most convenient to you or book an appointment online.